IHA Daily Briefing: April 7

IHA, MAPS PSO to Host May 20 Legal Webinar on Patient Safety Protections
Understanding how patient safety activities are protected-and where gaps may exist-is critical for healthcare organizations navigating today's legal and regulatory environment. IHA's patient safety organization (PSO) the Midwest Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS) PSO will host a legal webinar from 10-11 a.m. CT on May 20 focused on patient safety activities across health systems and recent case law developments.

The session, open to IHA members and Illinois healthcare providers, will examine how state privilege laws and the federal Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA) apply to patient safety work, including when protections for Patient Safety Work Product (PSWP) may be strengthened or challenged. Participants will gain practical insights into sharing PSWP across complex systems, understanding provider designations and reporting structures, and aligning policies to support compliance and reduce legal risk.

Designed for legal counsel, risk management teams, and quality and patient safety professionals, the webinar will offer continuing education credits for nursing and legal professionals.

Click here to register. For a full agenda, click here. For questions, contact [email protected].

CMS Finalizes Medicare Advantage Rates for CY 2027
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) yesterday released the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Rate Announcement for calendar year 2027. The rate announcement finalized a net average year-over-year increase of 2.48% in MA plan payments, or over $13 billion more than in 2026, representing an increase over the agency's estimate of 0.09%, or $700 million more in 2026 than was predicted in the advance notice earlier this year.

The rate reflects anticipated changes in MA plan input costs (e.g., healthcare utilization and prices), adjustments to the Star Ratings programs, and certain modifications to the MA risk adjustment model, such as the exclusion of diagnosis information from unlinked chart review records from risk scores. CMS's proposed changes to the risk adjustment model were not adopted in full, which explains a significant portion of the increase in net plan payments from the advance notice to the final rate announcement. Specifically, CMS will use the 2024 MA risk adjustment model calibrated with Original Medicare 2018 diagnoses and 2019 expenditures data for CY 2027 in lieu of the updated risk adjustment model calibrated with Original Medicare 2023 diagnoses and 2024 expenditures data as was proposed in the CY 2027 advance notice.

Study: Even After Discharge, Maternal Morbidity Risks Remain
Data collected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) show approximately 87 severe maternal morbidity (SMM) events occur per every 10,000 deliveries. A further review of post-discharge data, published in the American Journal of Perinatology, found that after leaving the hospital the rate of SMM events increased by 32%, or 115 per every 10,000 deliveries. Coagulopathy, acute renal failure, and sepsis were the most common SMM events overall, with coagulopathy being the most common SMM event during delivery hospitalizations and sepsis the most common SMM event triggering readmissions in the early postpartum period. Study authors said that while existing SMM measures capture these events only during delivery, the significant number of post-discharge events suggests a need to measure SMM during the postpartum period.

The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.

Briefly Noted

Leading the News

How SSM Health revamped workforce, RCM to boost its bottom line

Modern Healthcare

SSM Health President and CEO Laura Kaiser says she doesn't have it all figured out. But she has helped guide the nonprofit system back to the black after several years of operating losses.

St. Louis-based SSM reported a $148.5 million operating gain in 2025, compared with a $70 million operating loss in the prior year. Net income almost doubled to $483.6 million in 2025, according to the system's most recent financial documents filed in March. In an interview, Kaiser shared how the system is leveraging partnerships and a multifaceted capital strategy to maintain a stronger balance sheet following workforce and revenue cycle challenges.

3 million in rural counties lose MA coverage: Report

Becker's Hospital Review

Almost 3 million older Americans were dropped from Medicare Advantage plans after insurance carriers pulled out of their counties, according to a recent analysis.

Secret meeting held to oust West Suburban CEO before hospital's closure, warnings of dire situation

ABC 7

The abrupt closure of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park last month came as a shock to suddenly unemployed staff, a wide variety of patients, and the communities relying on the safety-net hospital.